Another Russian tanker sinks near the Kerch Strait

On December 17, another tanker sent a distress call in the Black Sea near the Kavkaz port in the Kerch Strait.

This was reported by the TASS news agency with reference to operational services.

"A distress signal has been transmitted from a tanker," the report said.

According to preliminary information, there is no fuel leakage and the tanker's hull is not damaged. The crew is safe, but the situation continues to be clarified.

The first accident in the Kerch Strait became known on December 15. The shipwreck occurred near Cape Panagia in the Temryuksky district of Krasnodar Krai, in the southwest of the Taman Peninsula, 12 kilometers from the village of Taman. It is the eastern entrance to the Kerch Strait from the Black Sea.

The spill of fuel oil from two Russian tankers in the Black Sea has caused a large-scale environmental disaster, with damages estimated at more than $14 billion. And this amount may increase after the data on the consequences of the pollution is clarified.

Ukrainian experts are actively documenting the facts of the pollution and analyzing its environmental impact. To this end, an interagency meeting has been organized with the participation of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, maritime administrations and other relevant agencies.

Ukraine has already appealed to the Secretariat of the Commission for the Protection of the Black Sea from Pollution to hold an extraordinary meeting. The participants are to organize an independent examination to assess the state of the waters, bottom sediments, and marine ecosystem. Appeals to international organizations such as the UN, the European Union, UNESCO, and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) are also being prepared.

To coordinate actions, the Ukrainian side held an online meeting with the Ministers of Environment of Romania and Bulgaria. Representatives of these countries shared their observations on the consequences of the disaster and agreed on further steps. Experts are waiting for better weather conditions to obtain high-quality satellite images to analyze the extent of the pollution.

Ірина Глухова